A justifiable box-office smash in what was, with hindsight, one of MGM's greatest years, this rollicking Technicolor swashbuckler remains the definitive screen version of Sir Walter Scott's memorable medieval classic. The cast and the action sequences are almost perfect; though suitably handsome, American Robert Taylor is a little dull as Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, but Elizabeth Taylor as Rebecca is at her loveliest, Emlyn Williams is wonderfully theatrical as Wamba, and villains George Sanders, Robert Douglas and, especially, lean and mean Guy Rolfe as Prince John are superb. Interestingly, Scott's sub-theme about anti-Semitism in 1190 England is not glossed over, making this one of the few 1950s movies to deal openly with such a tricky subject. Serious issues aside, this is a real treat for children of all ages, and makes all TV versions seem tame and pointless by comparison.

Sir Walter Scott's classic story of the chivalrous Ivanhoe who joins with Robin of Locksley in the fight against Prince John and for the return of King Richard the Lionheart.